It is well-known that there are many electric hair clippers in differing grades from bargain consumer units to high-end professional units available to consumers, barbers, beauty shops, small animal groomers, large animal groomers and shearers. Most consumer grade clippers are intended for personal use by individual consumers and can be sold in kits that include accessories such as clipper guides useful for adjusting the length of a cut. Professional clipper units are intended for hair care and grooming professionals with the accessories often being sold separately. However, the quality difference between the consumer grade and professional grade electric clippers has narrowed significantly over the years. Today the primary difference between the two grades is usually added or enhanced insulating for internal electrical components to prevent units from heating up during periods of prolonged usage.
Animal grooming is the practice of caring for the appearance of an animal for personal or showing purposes. Grooming rituals for dogs, for example, can include washing, hair clipping and cutting, nail clipping, powdering, hair styling, and teeth cleaning. Various breeds and species may require a groomer to pay particular attention to variations in styling patterns as well as the clipping of body parts safely without fear of injury to the animal and/or the operator.
Groomers are often skilled in knowing how to simultaneously hold an animal and the necessary tools effectively. In many cases, the process of hair clipping and cutting can involve the tethering or restraining of the animal. Some animals, such as cats, may require more than one technician to hold or restrain the animal. Animals can often become uncomfortable or nervous in such positions. Thus, there is a need for a device that provides for the quick and easy removal of hair or fur and that is not only robust and durable, but is also safe, comforting, and easy-to-use.
There are a number of trimmers that are commercially available which require an operator to hold the device at a specific angle so that the narrow cutter (blade portion) of the device can be carefully guided over the animal's body. These prior art devices are often awkward for the operator to use and can be uncomfortable. For example, the operator's hands and/or arms may have to be placed in difficult positions and at awkward angles. To maintain a good visual perspective, the operator's head may need to be placed in an uncomfortable position. The disclosed device, on the other hand, enables an operator to hold the apparatus with a comfortable, ergonomic grip that is natural to the user. In addition, the disclosed device enables the operator to use a petting action or natural stroke or motion to guide the apparatus over the animal's body. In the case of personal grooming, the disclosed device enables the operator to use a normal head stroking action to guide the apparatus over his or her hair.
There are a number of grooming gloves and rubberized devices that allow for an operator to simulate a natural petting action. However, these devices are simply washing or bathing devices that may or may not remove hair or fur. In addition, the Applicant is aware of a hand-held clipper manufactured by Remington Products Company, LLC (Madison, Wis.) that resembles a brush that can cut to the shape or a person's scalp (see www.remingtonshortcut.com. It appears that the cutting assembly of the Remington device consists of longitudinally aligned blades that are set in a substantially arcuate path similar to those disclosed in Mack et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,237) or Smith (U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,939). Also known is a hand-held clipper having a pivoting cutting assembly that is manufactured by Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (see www.philips.com). The cutting assembly of the Philips QC5170 device resembles a conventional blade assembly wherein the blades extend toward the front of the device but which can pivot from side-to-side 180° to extend from the side of the device. It is believed however that none of the prior art systems referred to above comprise, among other things, a palm-held device having blades on two edges simultaneously to enable a user to cut a target's hair or fur with either edge by moving the device in the desired direction.